Buy an amp to overpower subs?

Some articles written by Steve Brown.Build the box so that it performs well in the worst case scenario and, in return, it will reward you at all times.

No doubt he knows what he's talking about, he's built some amazing comp systems.  Let me not be the one who says he's wrong.  But is there a philosophy among high level competitors about this?  Is it because they are so precise with every detail that they can go this overpower route?  And is it a sane approach for the regular street guy building his system?Build the box so that it performs well in the worst case scenario and, in return, it will reward you at all times.

stevdart wrote: Is it because they are so precise with every detail that they can go this overpower route?  And is it a sane approach for the regular street guy building his system?

My question exactly! Those are the words I was looking for!

You'd better get me out of this lord... or else you'll have me to deal with. -- Hunter S. Thompson "F.A.L.I.L.V."

clipping is created when you set your gains incorrectly. if you have an amp rated for higher than the rms value of the sub and your gains are set properly or a little under then you should have no problem running your subs or have to worry about them burning up or getting a clipped signal correct?Quad L Handyman services

Two things here.  Even with a properly set gain you can easily send the speakers into clipping.  How?  By turning the head unit volume up past the point where you should stop.  The signal to the amp becomes distorted and, of course, is amplified.  Second thing...you say if the amp is rated at higher output than the speakers can handle...but the gain is set correctly...then there is no fear of burning up or clipping?  Possibly true to the clipping part, but there is still the HU, and you know there is a point where it will distort.  But the burning up part?  How would you know?  Until you hear the voice coil banging or smell smoke?  Overpowering is a certain killer unless you know precisely where to stop turning that dial....and you would have to rely on meters because you wouldn't hear clipping to tell you to turn it down.  That's why I don't think this way of doing things is good for the average guy.Build the box so that it performs well in the worst case scenario and, in return, it will reward you at all times.

Well said DYohn! I also agree that this overpowering aspect is best left to people who REALLY know what they are doing. If you cannot hear a speaker being overdriven, then do not take this route. (I never knew you were into theatre...) I have been doing it for years, like DYohn, and I can hear a driver being overdriven. I am a firm believer in dynamics, and I DO take the overpowering route, for this very reason. If you cannot keep you hand out of the volume control, you will ALWAYS be best off matching your amp power to driver rating.It all reminds me of something that Molière once said to Guy de Maupassant at a café in Vienna: "That's nice. You should write it down."

This is the way I have always treated this question. When I have a customer ask me I tell him to get an amp that has more power than what he needs and I will explain why. Lets say I set the gains on the system and the kid leaves. He looks at the system and decides that he wants his sub to be louder. He looks at the amp and see's that there is still room on the gain dial. So he turns it up. Now he is getting more bass but his amp that only puts out 230 watts rms is clipping his 400 watt rms sub like crazy because he cranked the gain. He either doesnt know what that sounds like or can hear the sub clipping cause its in his trunk. He blows the damn thing up and comes back pissed cause his sub blew up, claiming the sub is a piece of crap and that it shouldnt have blown up because the amp was barely putting half of the subs max power to it. I try to explain to the customer about clipping and he looks at me like I am a sleazy ass just trying to cover my tracks for a faulty product. Now if the same customer buys a sub that handles 400 watts rms and an amp that does about 500 watts rms and I set it up. The customer is far less likely to want more from the system because the sub is already being driven to full potential. It is also easier to explain to that same customer why he shouldnt turn the gain up higher than it is because in his mind he knows that he has more power than what the sub could handle and doesnt wanna chance blowing it up. While we are own the topic of power, we all know that manufactures tend to rate the equipment differently so if you by a Eclipse sub and a rockford amp, just cause the eclipse sub says it handles 600 watts rms and the rockford amp says it handles 600 watts rms that doesnt mean its gonna match up so that is where experience kicks in. I know that a kicker xs100 is not a good match to a punch stage 1 because even thought the kicker amp is rated at 50 x 2 and the stage 1 says it handles 150 watts rms, I also know that that kicker amp is underrated big time and would tear that little stage 1 apart. I also know that a American Legacy that is rated at 200 watts rms x 2 isnt gonna sufficently power a mtx 8000 because even thoug the rms power would match up the same I know the American Leagacy is bullsh*t ratings and are only gonna do those numbers right before it melts down. Mabye you think My theory is wrong but I have always overpowered everthing I use and it comes down to the fact that amps can always be turned down but if you try to turn it up so its no longer matched up to the head unit you are gonna clip and are gonna have problems. Everyone I know around here who either competes or runs higher quality equipment always over power their stuff. Also the lower you can keep the amp the less its gonna have to work and the longer its gonna last. Heat creates distortion and distortion creates, to borrow a quote from forbidden, sss. Smelly Speaker Syndrom and no one wants that.double-secret reverse-osmosis speaker-cone-induced high-level interference distortion, Its a killer